


The Alarming Endowment Fallacy

by grayseeker



Series: Untried [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: M/M, Size Difference, Size Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 09:17:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2304551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grayseeker/pseuds/grayseeker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skyfire learns that where it comes to the "big" issues that arise in their fledgling relationship, it's best to let Starscream tackle things head-on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Alarming Endowment Fallacy

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to [_The Osculation Paradox_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1757767), and takes place about one orn (13 days) later.
> 
> Many thanks to [Skywinder](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywinder/) for generously providing beta support, and to [Novaspark](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaspark/) for patiently reading (and re-reading!) this story throughout the many stages it went through on its journey to becoming what it is. Thanks also to Skywinder for giving me permission to use Altihex as the name of Skyfire's home city.

Skyfire's recharge bunk was taking a beating. Cracks had formed around the joists that held it to the inner wall of his roost, and just recently—within, say, the last seven breems or so—it had begun to clank ominously. Skyfire wasn't sure exactly when this had started, as he'd been otherwise occupied. He noticed it now, though, as he shifted to enfold Starscream more snugly in his arms while trying, in vain, to get more of himself _on_ the bunk. The berth protested his movement with a loud groan, and Starscream, whose face was buried against Skyfire's chest plating, laughed softly.

"I think we're breaking your bed, Sky."

"Hmm." 

Skyfire tucked his head against the roll-pillow so that he could trail soft kisses along the nearer of the two crest ridges atop Starscream's helm. A delicious lassitude had settled over him, in counterpoint to the pleasantly stretched sensation in his lower regions and the sticky warmth seeping between his thighs. He couldn't remember when he'd felt this content, like he was floating; concern for the state of his bunk was really the last thing on his mind.

"I love you," he whispered, because he enjoyed saying it and because it felt like such a miracle that he now _could_. Starscream's awkward kiss, pressed to his mouth with such pent-up energy and emotion, had come as a revelation, as stunning to Skyfire as being hit by a bolt of lightning. The possibility that the person he treasured most in all the universe might actually feel the same way about _him_ … It was almost too much to believe, the kind of thing that could happen just once in a lifetime, and then only if you were very lucky.

Starscream's arms tightened around him, and Skyfire felt smooth, warm lips pressed to his chest. He smiled, knowing that this was as close to a reply as he was likely to get from his young lover. The notion of "love" was too subjective for Starscream; too similar to the teaching fables of magic and heroism that the Lore Masters were constantly trying to drum into Starscream and in his contemporaries in hope of molding this latest crop of wild young Seekers into productive, morally upright members of Cybertronian society.

As much as Starscream seemed to place "love" in a category similar to the one in which he'd placed Unicron, the Allspark, and other fanciful concepts, Skyfire had no doubt that Starscream felt the same for him as he did for Starscream. It was there in his kisses; it radiated from his spark when they held each other, and it was plainly apparent in the way that Starscream _made_ love. That was all Skyfire needed to know, though there was still a part of him that longed to hear the words.

Starscream gave a soft, raspy sigh. He shifted against him and then, with unexpected suddenness, pushed himself up. He folded his arms across Skyfire's chest and frowned. 

"Skyfire?" 

Something in Starscream's tone cut through the warm haze of relaxation. Skyfire tucked an arm beneath his helm and propped it up to get a better look at him. "What is it?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

Starscream hesitated before answering, as if he was considering his words. "I don't understand," he said, finally, in a tone that would have been unrecognizable to anyone other than Skyfire. The haughtiness and superiority he wore as a habitual armoring against a world that was routinely hostile to him and to his kind were gone, and he sounded as young as he was when he added, "You haven't shown me your spike yet. Why?"

Ah. That was a topic Skyfire had been hoping to put off just a bit longer. They had been lovers for less than an orn and, thanks to Skyfire's teaching schedule and Starscream's obligatory Guild training, they hadn't been able to see as much of each other as they would have liked. Still, it was bound to come up eventually, and Skyfire had done his best to prepare himself for it.

"It's all right," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "I don't need that." 

Those words had sounded much more convincing when he'd mentally rehearsed them than they did now, with Starscream staring at him, mouthing them in silence as if he was trying to get a taste for them.

"Don't… _need_ that," Starscream repeated, finally. His wings were blocking the city lights that filtered in through the round porthole window, so his face was mostly in shadow, but it was clear that Skyfire's answer hadn't satisfied him. His expression was a jumble of clashing emotions, each vying for dominance over his features. Uncertainty won out, coupled with a heavy dose of worry.

"What in the name of Primus and his great, dripping valve," he asked, "is _that_ supposed to mean?" 

Primus, the cosmic entity who was said to have created Cybertron, was definitely on the list of things Starscream didn't believe in; yet he seemed perfectly comfortable invoking his name for the sake of profanity.

"I love just being with you," Skyfire explained. "Everything we do is wonderful, and I don't need anything… more."

That much was entirely true. Starscream, in spite of his initial clumsiness at kissing, was a remarkable lover. Skyfire couldn't imagine anything better than what they already shared, and had never once felt that anything was, well… missing. 

Starscream, however, clearly did. His brow ridges had drawn into a scowl, and Skyfire caught the glint of his pale, sharp dentae as he worried at his full bottom lip. "You don't like having it touched?" he asked finally, speculatively, as if trying to make sense of what Skyfire was saying.

"No, it's not that. It's just that my spike is… well. Things _change_ , once people see it."

"Change," Starscream echoed dryly. "Care to explain what you mean by that?"

Skyfire didn't, but he could tell that Starscream wasn't going to let this go. "It seems to… _alarm_ people." He realized that was a poor choice of words the moment he'd said them, but by then it was too late. A gleam entered Starscream's optics and he wriggled his hips down, so that he was straddling Skyfire's thighs.

"Your spike is _alarming_? This I must see." He tapped a finger against Skyfire's pelvic plating. "Come on, show me the goods."

Skyfire sighed. He should have known that Starscream would take "alarming" as some kind of challenge. Then again, he supposed this was inevitable, and now was a better time for it than most. He was rarely less than half-hard when he was around Starscream, and his current, sated condition was, in fact, one of the few circumstances under which Starscream might actually catch a glimpse of his spike fully depressurized.

He slid the panel open and lay back, waiting for Starscream's response. What he got was silence. This was unusual. His spike had provoked many reactions in the past, but silence had never been among them. Silence from _Starscream_ , who had something to say about nearly everything, seemed particularly ominous. A chill coiled through Skyfire's internals. New though they were as lovers, he already knew that Starscream fit his soul in a way that no past relationship ever had, and he couldn't bear the thought of frightening him off with something so… unnecessary.

Finally, when he couldn't take it any more, he glanced up and found that Starscream was gazing down at him—or more specifically, at his spike—with rapt intensity. As if he'd never seen one before. When he finally did speak, all he said was, "Oh."

Skyfire's spirits sank. "As I said," he put in hastily, "I really don't need for you to—"

"Can I?" Starscream interrupted and then, without actually waiting for permission, reached into Skyfire's housing. Skyfire made a grab for his arm, but Starscream was already gliding his palm softly along Skyfire's length, sensitive digit-pads exploring his contours with a care that bordered on reverence. "Sky." His voice was hushed. "By unusual, I thought…" his wings shifted in a tiny shrug. "I expected it to be barbed, or something."

"Hmph. It might as well be." This time, Skyfire did manage to catch hold of Starscream's hand. "It's okay, you can stop. I don't need—ah!" Starscream had located one of his trigger-points; Skyfire felt his spike quiver, stirring to undeniable wakefulness under the sudden input of a touch that wasn't his own. "Starscream—nngh!"

Starscream's smile turned wicked. "Don't _need_ this, hmm?" His deft fingers traveled up the underside of Skyfire's spike, finding the next trigger-point, and the next, and—dear Primus, he was lighting them up like stars. 

Skyfire's interface circuitry crackled to life. He noticed that he wasn't making much of an effort to stop Starscream anymore, and sated though he'd been a moment earlier, he was definitely getting hard now. Starscream shifted to kneel between his legs and drew Skyfire's spike fully from its housing.

"Why would you hide this?" he asked. He trailed his lips along Skyfire's length, pressing little kisses. "It's beautiful. _You_ are."

Skyfire arched helplessly beneath his gentle, coaxing touch, his hands clenching involuntarily against the berth's worn upholstery. It had been _so_ long since anyone had tried—since he'd _let_ anyone, and… oh, Primus. _And_ his dripping valve. All he could do was stare, transfixed, as the silvery tip of Starscream's glossa swept lightly over his crown, tasting him for the very first time. 

"Starscrrr… uhm." 

"Mmm," came the soft reply. 

Skyfire's upper cortex was telling him that this wasn't real, couldn't possibly be happening, but he had no voice left with which to protest as he watched Starscream's dark lips stretch to enfold his pale, glistening head and draw him inside. He hardened into Starscream's mouth, powerless to stop himself, and Starscream gave a little purr of delight. He caressed Skyfire's tip with lush, teasing swirls of his glossa and then pressed it sweetly, tormentingly, against the little notch of sensors just below his crown. 

"Ahh—! Starscream…" 

Starscream's only response was to draw him the rest of the way in. Or, at least, as far in as he'd go—which wasn't really all that far, but Starscream seemed untroubled by this. He wrapped his hand around the lower part of Skyfire's shaft and pumped him in time with his draws, his supple cheekplates hollowing and expanding as he sucked. His optics dimmed and he seemed utterly absorbed in what he was doing, as if it was the most important thing in the universe. 

It was… incredible. 

The sensuous roll and flicker of Starscream's glossa, the sight and feel of his throat cables clenching and releasing; even the light, occasional scrape of his dentae against Skyfire's shaft, just enough to add texture without causing pain. It was amazing, all of it. As was the sight of his beautiful Seeker kneeling between his legs, his wingtips quivering just slightly as his head bobbed. There could be no doubt at all as to the sincerity of his desire, which just made it all the more arousing. A gift beyond price.

Skyfire knew he wasn't going to last long. He didn't care. He reached to Starscream again, not to stop him this time, but just to stroke the side of his jaw and to feel the rhythmic tightening in his throat as it squeezed and massaged his head. Just to feel _him_.

Starscream's other hand burrowed between his legs, and Skyfire gasped as clever digits circled the entrance of his valve, then pushed inside and spread open the first ring of calipers within his channel. A finger flicked the little sensor-cluster that lay just beyond that first ring and Skyfire bucked his hips, helpless to prevent himself. The berth shuddered and squealed in protest, but he was beyond caring. 

Random bursts of charge erupted in the pit of his chassis as he pushed hard into that sweet, willing mouth. The overload cresting within him was like a tidal wave about to hit, and he felt as if he hadn't overloaded in vorns, rather than just a few breems ago. He threw his shoulders back against the roll pillow, every cable in his body straining as the charge coalesced, ready to explode, and— 

Starscream pulled off him with a wet "pop." He slid his free hand to the base of Skyfire's spike, pressed hard with his thumb, and the wave collapsed, dissipating to a low buzz of arousal. Skyfire whimpered.

"Why'd you… _how_ did you…?"

"Patience," Starscream chided. He nuzzled along Skyfire's spike, bestowing little kisses. His gaze then raked up the length of Skyfire's frame and his hands curled around the edges of his hips, locking tight as he vented a shaky gust of air across Skyfire's belly. "It's a trick I learned in the baths," he added. "I'll show you later." There was a perceptible quiver in his voice. His fans were roaring, and Skyfire realized that for all his show of worldly confidence, Starscream was as undone as he was.

"Come here," Skyfire whispered. His voice sounded harsh and breathy, not his own.

Starscream withdrew his fingers, now glistening with the sheen of their combined fluids, from Skyfire's aft. He draped himself over Skyfire's chest, leaning up to kiss him—and if he'd ever been less than skilled at kissing, it didn't show now. His mouth was warm and sweetly giving, and he tasted like sex. He tasted wonderful, and Skyfire took no small satisfaction in knowing that this, at least, wasn't some trick that Starscream had picked up in the pleasure quarters. Skyfire swept his glossa deep, seeking out every corner of that remarkable mouth.

"I love you," he murmured when they finally broke apart. He tipped their forehelms together. "Thank you."

"Oh, I'm not done." Starscream stretched languidly, arranging his limbs in an elegant sprawl. "You _are_ beautiful," he added, gliding his thumb along the contour line of Skyfire's cheekplate.

"You don't have to say that," Skyfire said. He knew he wasn't beautiful. Imposing, maybe, but usually he just felt awkward. Before becoming a scientist, his designation had been to fly heavy loads of cargo from one place to another, and his frame reflected that. Back in his home city of Altihex he was considered, if anything, a bit on the small side, but here in Vos he'd grown accustomed to ducking his wings to fit through doorways and having to stoop or kneel in order to speak faceplate to faceplate with his students or, worse, Academy administrators. 

"You're beautiful to me," Starscream retorted fiercely. "Anyone who's told you otherwise is blind! Or stupid."

Skyfire didn't know how to answer that, so he leaned up, meaning to draw their mouths together for another kiss—but Starscream, still glaring, pushed him back. His anger then shifted, transmuting into something that Skyfire couldn't read. He trailed a digit-tip, wet with their combined fluids, against Skyfire's mouth and followed this with a firm kiss, sucking their essences away before Skyfire could get a taste.

"Hey," Skyfire protested, "don't I get any?" 

A playful light kindled in the depths of Starscream's optics and, instead of answering, he traced the finger across his own lips, leaving behind a softly glowing sheen that reminded Skyfire of the shimmery lip-paints that femmes often used. Skyfire then attempted to kiss it off _him_ , but Starscream again pushed him down. 

"You want this?" Starscream licked his own lips, once more claiming the nectar all for himself. "Better come and get it."

Skyfire laughed. He caught Starscream's shoulders and rolled him on his back—being careful not to snag his wings, slung a leg across his slim hips and pinned him with his weight. The berth jounced beneath them, and one of the restraining bolts popped free. It ricocheted from the edge of the bunk and clattered across the floor, but Skyfire paid it no mind. He seized Starscream's hand and licked firmly along one of those glistening fingers, filling his mouth with that sharp-sweet flavor, then plunged his glossa between Starscream's lips.

Starscream squirmed beneath him with a grunt of mock-protest, his glossa battling Skyfire's for control. Skyfire growled into their kiss as he forced Starscream's head down into the roll pillow, the better to plunder his mouth. This was new for him. No previous lover had ever seemed quite so intent on provoking this side of him, the dominant side that he normally kept hidden for fear of hurting or frightening someone. He was simply too big, and he knew it. But Starscream never seemed fazed by it, and in fact he took such obvious delight in drawing it out that Skyfire couldn't say no.

Even as they kissed Starscream was working his hand down between their frames, and Skyfire felt wet fingers close around his spike. The cool slickness felt incredible. He thrust into Starscream's hand, seeking friction, but Starscream kept his grip light and teasing. Skyfire gave a muffled snarl of frustration, and he felt a ripple of humor, bright as quicksilver, erupt through Starscream's field.

"It's okay to take what you want," Starscream whispered, nipping softly at the tip of his nose. "We want the same thing." He hooked his legs over Skyfire's back, and Skyfire heard the potent whisper of a panel sliding open. He froze. 

"What…?" 

He knew, of course, what the gesture meant, but that didn't mean it made any sense. “ _No_ ,” he said reflexively—and then, when Starscream merely stared at him, he clarified, "I'll _hurt_ you."

"Not if you stretch me first," Starscream replied with the ludicrous bravado of one who was either very young, or simply hadn't bothered to think about the logistics. Or, in Starscream's case, clearly both. He hitched up against Skyfire, trapped their spikes between them and rocked his hips, making the berth rattle and Skyfire gasp. "You know I'm not exactly a virgin."

Well Skyfire _did_ know that, at least, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with what Starscream was proposing. Even if the very thought of it was making his engines roar. "This is crazy," he protested, hating how weak his voice sounded.

"Hmm." Starscream arched against him. "Your spike doesn't seem to think so. Maybe you should listen to it more often." He twined his arms around Skyfire's neck and kissed along the edge of one of his audials. "Come on." His voice was a silken growl. "Just try. Think of it as… an experiment."

 _Try_. 

Such a tiny, harmless-sounding idea. If they tried and it proved unworkable, well, then they'd know. But if it _did_ work… A dark fire rose in the depths of his chassis at the idea of being inside Starscream, sheathed tightly within his slender, heated frame. His fans kicked up a notch just imagining it—and Starscream, of course, knew exactly what _that_ meant. 

Starscream was stroking his intakes soothingly, as if Skyfire was the one in need of reassurance. Which was, Skyfire supposed, just the plain truth. Their gazes met, and in a rush Skyfire confessed, "I've only done this a few times. And then, it was with someone… bigger."

"Bigger? Than _you_?” Starscream glanced down between them, his optics wide.

"Not in _that_ way," Skyfire said with a laugh. He felt oddly nervous, as if he was on the brink of losing his own virginity all over again. "He was Carrier-class like me, and anyway, I don't think I was good at it."

"I wasn't good at kissing." 

"But that's _kissing_. This is…"

"Fragging," Starscream supplied. "You'll be good at it." His hand found Skyfire's, twined their fingers together and gave them a firm squeeze, then guided Skyfire's hand down, between his legs, to his aft interface port. "Do you know how to stretch me?" he asked as he pushed Skyfire's fingers against that hot, inviting dampness. 

"I… think so." 

Skyfire was trembling, and he couldn't believe he was actually considering this. His fingers felt too big and clumsy and just _wrong_ , yet he found himself moving as if in a dream, easing back along the bunk to kneel between Starscream's legs. The bunk, which was built for someone more Starscream's size, wasn't very accommodating, and his pedes ended up dangling from its edge. He was acutely aware of Starscream's gaze on him as he slipped a hand beneath Starscream's aft and gently lifted.

Starscream immediately swung his pedes onto Skyfire's shoulders and tilted his hips up, opening himself. Skyfire's vents hitched, and for a moment all he could do was stare, awed by the implicit trust in that gesture, as well as by Starscream's general loveliness. 

His wings were pressed down into the berth's upholstery, and his optics smoldered like banked embers as he watched Skyfire. His spike, which looked almost painfully erect, was tracing a nonsense calligraphy of silvery pretransfluid over the lower edge of his canopy. Evey line of his form spoke a wordless poetry of desire, and he seemed the living embodiment of all things beautiful and erotic. It was as if some youthful god of passion had fallen from the sky and landed—or perhaps simply materialized—in Skyfire's bunk. And Skyfire wanted. How he _wanted_. Primus help him.

Starscream tightened his legs around Skyfire's shoulders, tugging him closer. "Quit stalling."

"Not stalling," Skyfire murmured. "Just appreciating." 

Starscream looked pleased. Skyfire knew he liked being admired, which was just as well because Skyfire couldn't help himself. He bent and scattered little kisses against the inner surfaces of Starscream's thighs before curling his glossa softly against that wet, waiting entrance. Starscream gave a stifled cry and arched against his mouth, his hands digging into the berth. Skyfire smiled. He loved this. Loved Starscream's responsiveness, and how the scarlet bio-lights that ringed his entrance were kindling to life at even this, very lightest of touches. 

He probed inside, gently spreading the delicate folds of protoform that guarded Starscream's channel. Starscream made a ragged noise, and a quiver rolled through his frame and he pushed up against Skyfire's glossa, trying to get more of it into himself. Skyfire obliged him by pressing deeper, stroking and massaging the inner walls to relax them. Lubricant welled, bittersweet and wonderful, as he darted his glossa in and out, teasing Starscream with little thrusts.

Starscream thrust back, rocking against him. "More," he rasped.

Skyfire could already feel a crackle of charge against his lips, and he knew how easy it would be to make Starscream overload right now, just like this. But Starscream had asked him to _try_ , so he withdrew his glossa and replaced it with a finger. The digit slipped in without resistance, as he knew it would, so he added a second. The walls of Starscream's sheath adjusted, molding to the contours of his fingers as he worked them deeper. He found the first caliper ring. It clenched at his touch, gripping hard, and the thought of that wet, clinging heat closing around his spike made him stifle a growl.

"More," Starscream repeated, his voice harsh with need. "Open me." 

Skyfire spread his fingers, pressing the ring as far open as he could, and massaged the calipers until he felt the tension ease. He then added a third digit. The ring spasmed as a different kind of tension took hold of Starscream's body.

"Does that hurt?" Skyfire asked.

Starscream shook his head, though Skyfire could see that his hands were clamped around the edges of the berth. "Don't stop," he said, through gritted dentae.

"I won't," Skyfire promised, pressing little kisses along Starscream's leg, "but you have to tell me when something hurts." 

Starscream managed a nod. Skyfire opened his fingers slowly and carefully, giving the ring time to adjust. When the tightness started to drain he pushed his fingers the rest of the way in, as deep as they could go. They were barely long enough to reach the second ring, but he stroked and massaged it as best he could, and was rewarded by a whimper of pleasure. Starscream caught hold of his shoulder and tugged.

"Sky."

Skyfire eased his fingers out of Starscream. He stretched over him, and Starscream's legs slipped from his shoulders and down to wrap around his hips. Starscream grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, sweeping his glossa deep into Skyfire's mouth to get a good taste of himself. 

"Now." He tightened his legs, pulling the head of Skyfire's spike flush against his entrance.

"You want this?" Skyfire nudged him with just the tip, and when Starscream bucked against him he drew himself just beyond reach, earning a savage glare from his lover.

"What do _you_ think?" Starscream snapped. He pushed back against Skyfire, who once again evaded him.

"How much do you want it?" Skyfire asked. He nudged again, and felt Starscream tremble. 

"If you don't frag me right now, I'm going to—" Starscream broke off, as though no suitable threat was coming to mind. "Please?" 

Skyfire kissed him. He couldn't help himself. This was Starscream at his most incredible, his beautiful face flushed with heat and his field a tempestuous swirl of rage-desire-frustration as he demanded—no, _begged_ —to be fragged. It occurred to him that perhaps he _was_ stalling, just a little. Teasing Starscream gave him a sense of control, not just over the situation but over himself; it gave him a needed reassurance that he was actually capable of stopping if he had to. Starscream nipped at his mouth, letting him feel the sharpness of his dentae in a none-too-subtle warning that he'd better get on with it. Skyfire eased off him instead, and Starscream gave a hiss of vexation. 

"Skyfire—!"

Skyfire stretched on his back so that his spike was pointing straight up like a flagpole. "Better come and get it," he said as he wriggled his hips, making it bounce invitingly. 

Starscream pounced, slung a leg over Skyfire's hips and pinned his wrists with the clear intent of forestalling any further escape attempts. He then immediately had to let go of one wrist in order to line himself up properly, but he did so with a growl and a curl of his lip, which gave Skyfire a warning glimpse of his fangs. Skyfire just smiled. Few things short of a nearby star going supernova could have induced him to move right now, and he tucked his newly freed arm beneath his helm to give himself the best possible view of what was about to happen. 

His spike's blunt outline loomed monstrously against the city skyline. It seemed almost comically massive compared with the narrowness of Starscream's hips, yet Starscream pressed back onto it without hesitation. His mouth fell open in a soundless cry as a shiver swept his frame. His dentae, exposed in threat just a moment earlier, now sank into his lip hard enough to draw up beads of energon. 

Skyfire put a hand on his flank and hummed softly; an ancient Seeker love ballad that he'd taught to himself back when the idea that he might ever actually sing it to Starscream had seemed as remote as the possibility of finding intelligent life on the surface of a star. 

Starscream's gaze snapped to his. A tiny sound escaped him, something akin to a sob, and he pushed down with sudden ferocity. The tune fell apart in Skyfire's vocalizer as his spike popped through the outer ring and was enfolded in drenching heat. Starscream, his features set in a mask of grim determination, continued pushing back until Skyfire's spike bumped the first ring. He slumped forward with a pained gasp of triumph, and Skyfire rubbed circles against his hip.

Skyfire was now half in, half out of Starscream. A stillness opened at his core as he gazed at his lover, knowing with sudden sureness that Starscream, with this act, was claiming him. Not that he had any need to. Skyfire had been his from the moment they met; it had never been a choice. He had simply known, spark-deep, that he was Starscream's.

"Take me," he whispered.

Something kindled in Starscream's optics, a kind of recognition. He pushed back almost brutally, body straining bow-tight as he forced himself down onto Skyfire's spike. Skyfire gasped, both in fear of Starscream hurting himself and at the harsh pressure of calipers as his spike popped through each ring—first, second, third—and Starscream settled his aft flush against Skyfire's hips. 

Starscream's head was thrown back, his optics tightly shuttered, and Skyfire saw a faint glimmer of optic lubricant squeezing out around their edges. Skyfire longed to brush those tears away, but he found he could neither move nor speak. Starscream was holding him; surrounding him; gripping him in the tightness of his sheath. When Starscream's optics opened, he smiled and the droplets spilled, leaving faint trails on his dark cheeks. His expression was pain, and ecstasy and… something. An emotion that Skyfire wouldn't have dared give a name to; something volatile and spark-breakingly beautiful… and _his_.

Starscream shifted his hips, testing things out. His vents caught. Skyfire took hold of his spike, which had sagged a little and stroked its sleek length, loving the dense weight of it in his hand. Starscream rocked into his touch, and Skyfire rewarded him with a roll of his thumb across his crown. He then repeated the action, encouraging Starscream to thrust into his grip. Starscream did, rising on his knees and pushing down again as Skyfire continued pumping him.

It was a tight fit; very tight, and the sensation was rough, almost abrasive as Skyfire's spike forced its way through the taut rings. Their rhythm grew easier as Starscream's channel adjusted, molding itself to Skyfire's girth, and the crushing pressure eased into an exquisite, gliding friction. Their optics met, and Skyfire felt a stirring of something nameless, something dangerous. 

"Starscream," he said.

The response was instantaneous. "Please." 

It was barely a whisper, and there was something so vulnerable in Starscream's voice, something so young and wanting. Skyfire pulled him against his chest and rolled them both so Starscream was once again beneath him. Starscream's arms twined around his neck, and the tremor that ran through his frame transmitted to Skyfire's in a burst of raw sensation. 

Starscream tilted his chin up, lips slightly parted, begging to be kissed. The invitation was so clear and obvious that it made Skyfire's spark ache. He closed the gap, kissing Starscream slow and deep, and Starscream's knees came up, his legs wrapping around Skyfire's torso.

"I love you," Skyfire whispered. Starscream's field shimmered in wordless response, and Skyfire rocked into him, into that amazing, melting tightness.

"Sky—ah!" Starscream rose to meet him on his next thrust. "More," he rasped, and Skyfire shifted, driving into him from a higher angle. He might not have done this often, but he knew what _he_ liked when he was being fragged. It was immediately obvious when he found what he was looking for; the ceiling node that crowned the apex of Starscream's channel.

Starscream tossed his head back with a cry. His heels dug into the backs of Skyfire's thighs hard enough to leave dents, and Skyfire took the opportunity to bite Starscream's exposed throat cables, marking them with his dentae as he slammed in more aggressively. Starscream matched his rhythm, tightening his legs to pull him deeper on every thrust.

Skyfire hadn't known it could be like this. His spark burned hotter with each surge of their bodies, each rattle of the berth beneath them, each moan and whimper he commanded from Starscream's straining form. Starscream was not simply allowing him to do this, he was _demanding_ it, and it felt so right and natural. He didn't have to hold back. He was free to let his desires rule him, and his touch, it seemed, had the power to liberate Starscream in return. 

He pinned first one, then the other of Starscream's hands to the berth. Starscream arched, mouth questing for Skyfire's, and Skyfire held back a moment, teasing him, before he finally let Starscream claim his lips in a searing kiss.

"Sky… aah! Oh, Primus…"

Starscream pressed his mouth to Skyfire's cheek, then his chin-guard, kissing and biting as he muttered curses and sweet nonsense. Their rhythm grew wild. Skyfire could feel charge arcing between them in scattered bursts as their fields meshed, and his circuits seemed to catch fire. In this joining, he knew, they were like a meteor burning through the high stratosphere; fierce, amazing, and never meant to last.

He reached between their bodies, meaning to stroke Starscream across the brink—and that was when the berth gave out. A joist wrenched free of the wall and sent bolts pelting over Skyfire's back like over-sized hailstones. The bunk tipped violently and made a noise that was almost sentient, like a creature wailing its death throes. Skyfire grabbed Starscream's arm in a nonsensical attempt at protection as they, and the berth, crashed to the floor. The impact seemed to shake the whole room, and several empty glass vials rolled from the edge of Skyfire's desk and shattered on the floor. Starscream, beneath him, made a tiny, wheezing sound.

Skyfire levered up, horrified. "Starscream! Are you—"

"If you even _think_ of stopping, I'll—"

Skyfire kissed him. "Never," he said, dizzy with relief. "Never going to stop, ever."

They found their rhythm again and it was effortless this time, like flight, the way their bodies moved and shifted together. Skyfire could already feel the wave rising inside him, sweeping him up toward its crest, and knew he was powerless to hold it back for long. He grasped Starscream's spike again and growled with delight as it hardened still further in his grip. He pumped in time with his thrusts and Starscream's throat arched, his mouth framing a soundless cry as he reached up, seizing blindly onto Skyfire's intakes as if he needed something with which to anchor himself.

Skyfire forced his gaze to focus. He wanted to always remember how Starscream looked right now, poised on the brink, with every cable of his body straining and his field ablaze like a solar corona, brighter than the stars he was named for.

Then he screamed. Truly screamed. It was long, harsh and ragged, and the most beautiful sound Skyfire had ever heard. Hot fluid jetted between them, spilling over Skyfire's fingers and splattering their bellies. Starscream's digits raked sparks from the backs of Skyfire's intakes and his legs tightened, pulling Skyfire as deep as he could go. Skyfire hauled back, rammed in again, his thin control swept away, and Starscream…

Starscream was contracting his channel in waves, his gaze locked on Skyfire's as he squeezed and caressed, dragging him to the edge—and past it—and Skyfire roared, his hips snapping forward one last time. His body froze, seized in the grip of paroxysm as he emptied himself into Starscream. He remained there for a moment, poised at the apex, before his arms gave out and he sagged. A strong pair of arms caught him, gripping him close and steady as the room, the planet, the universe, tipped on its axis. 

Starscream's legs were still clamped around his hips, holding him inside, and Starscream was kissing him. Fierce, little kisses, pressed to his throat, his cheeks, his brow—everywhere, it seemed, that Starscream was capable of reaching. 

"I love you," Starscream whispered. His voice was thready and weak and he was trembling, his field a tumult of white noise. "I love you, Skyfire."

Skyfire buried his face against Starscream's shoulder, blinking wetness from his optics. A tender ache swelled in him, clogging his chest. "You too," he whispered, once his vocalizer seemed capable of forming words again.

Starscream glided his hands over Skyfire's scratched intakes as if he was trying to soothe away the slight damage he'd caused, and for a while, neither of them spoke. "So," Starscream said eventually. "Now that I've seen your 'alarming' spike, what do you suppose has changed?"

"Changed?" Skyfire echoed. It took him a moment to place the context of Starscream's question, but then he laughed. "Nothing, I suppose."

"Nothing?"

Skyfire thought about that, and amended, "Everything." 

Starscream smiled. It was a soft smile, a gentle curving of lips swollen from kissing. 

Skyfire stroked his cheek, brushing away remnants of tears. "Are you all right?" He was pretty sure of the answer, but still felt he had to ask.

Starscream's fingers traveled the edges of Skyfire's intakes, then down to trace the rims of the heavy engine housings that topped his shoulders. "Put it this way," he said. "I'm doing much better than your bunk."

Skyfire grimaced. "That isn't saying much." He spared a glance at the twisted, broken joists. 

"Oh, but it _is_. Unlike your bunk, I'm not too small for you."

"True," Skyfire had to agree.

He eased out carefully. His spike popped free with a loud, wet squelch, and Starscream laughed. All Skyfire could think was how much he loved hearing him laugh and the sight of him like this, sprawled wanton and beautiful on the bed they'd just destroyed. He slid an arm beneath Starscream and braced him into the curve of his body—where he fit just perfectly—and rolled them both over.

They settled into what was becoming their usual recharge position, with Starscream draped across Skyfire's chest and one of his knees tucked between Skyfire's thighs. Starscream pressed his cheek to Skyfire's chest plating, and sighed. 

"Who needs a berth, when I have you?"

Skyfire chuckled. He kissed along the edge of one of Starscream's crest ridges and stifled a jaw-cracking yawn. A long-overdue rest cycle was dragging at his consciousness, although he was also very aware of the cooling stickiness between their bellies.

"I guess we should clean up," he suggested, without enthusiasm. 

Cleaning up would involve getting off the bed, walking twenty paces or so to the washracks, and remaining vertical long enough for the hot spray to do its work, all of which seemed like a ridiculous amount of effort just now.

Starscream's arms tightened around him, holding him in place. "Can wait," he murmured. His voice was muffled against Skyfire's chest, and he sounded as sleepy as Skyfire felt. "We've got a lot of work to do next-cycle."

"We do?"

"Mmm." Starscream was kissing his chest. "Have to requisition you a new bunk. One that'll fit."

"Hmph. Good luck with that." Skyfire could only imagine the kinds of questions he'd get asked by Academy's housing authority, and even if they did grant him a new berth, the replacement would undoubtedly be standard-issue, like this one.

"Or we could build you one," Starscream qualified, as if reading his mind. "But first, we have to do all _this_ again." He made a vague gesture, indicating their general state of collapse.

Skyfire smiled. "All of it?"

"Yes, all."

Skyfire hugged him close. It surprised him to realize that he'd still had a few lingering doubts, but Starscream's words had just banished them, as surely as a sunrise banishing the shadows of night. "I love you," he whispered. Just because he enjoyed saying it.

Starscream levered up on his elbows and studied Skyfire with a slight frown. "You really thought I'd be frightened away," he stated. It wasn't a question.

"I was afraid," Skyfire admitted.

"You should know better."

"Yes," Skyfire agreed. "I should have."

His spike might have been instrumental in ending more than one of his previous relationships, but Starscream wasn't like any of those other lovers. Starscream was Starscream. He was unique, and if Skyfire had doubted for even a moment that his soul belonged to this mech, he certainly knew it now.

Starscream kissed him. It was a soft brush of lips, almost chaste. "You too," he said, and again, it seemed as if he was responding to Skyfire's unspoken thought rather than to what he'd said. Almost shyly, he added, "I love you." A glimmer of satisfaction rippled through his field, as if it pleased him to finally say those words. He smiled, and tucked his face down once more against Skyfire's chest.

Skyfire ran his hand lightly over Starscream's back, stroking until he felt the sleek frame relax against his and he was rewarded by a quiet snore. He settled his head against the pillow, gazing at the broken joists. A hundred little aches were making themselves known from every corner of his frame, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that Starscream had, with his words and actions, made him into a new creature. 

The only thing he knew for certain was that they were on some kind of a journey together. He could only guess where it might end up taking them, but building a new berth seemed like a reasonable first step. After everything else, of course.

Skyfire smiled again. He shuttered his optics and let himself drift into recharge, feeling loved… and beautiful.


End file.
